Stuck in a Box - Illustrated Diary of a Pandemic
I. Introduction When talking about depression, Ann Svetkovich described it as “a state of being “stuck,” of not being able to figure out what to do or why to do it” (Svetkovich, 20). She also talked about the concept of an impasse: a state, mental or physical, that opens into anxiety, uncertainty, and generally a form of confusion and immobility. In the context of the current pandemics, the world is, in fact, in an impasse. With people staying at home, productions and life are put on a standstill without a guarantee when it will end. In contrast to an impasse is the idea of movement and creativity, defined by Svetkovich as a form of movement that maneuvers the mind around an impasse, even if that movement seem backward or like a form of retreat. Creativity encompasses different ways to move and be functional in a world that does not allow the person to do so. For me, the impasse started when I got an email from Vanderbilt University on March 12 th , saying